Kismet
by CHelarch4226
Summary: Falling into the well on her 15th birthday and her adventures in the past never happened, but Kagome will soon learn that her and a certain half-demon's destinies will forever be intertwined...
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: I do not own**_** Inuyasha**

* * *

I'm quite ordinary.

24, single, and living on my own. I suppose that is what every other adult my age would consider _ideal_. No attachments, no obligations…

That's a lie, I have plenty of obligations.

Raised by a single mother, my little brother and I grew up with the mindset that we had to prove our worth to others. I can't tell you how many times I've been told that I was disadvantaged, that because of my lack of a father figure in my life I would never truly succeed, that it was a shame I showed so much potential but no resources…

Bullshit.

I graduated at the top of my high school class, proceeded to attend a prestigious college, finishing with a Biology degree, and managed to land a job at an up and coming laboratory within two weeks of my college commencement.

I suppose I should be proud, I've achieved a lot. But I feel like something's missing, like there's something else I should be doing…

And then an idiotic thought pops into my head.

Sometimes I wonder what life would be like if I lived in a fairy tale.

I stare up at my ceiling, counting the stucco bumps, trying to ignore the annoying alarm I set up on my Iphone. My bedroom is hot and stuffy, and I wince as I move my arm, feeling my pajama shirt stick nastily to the side of my breast. With a low, feral growl, I swooped up my phone, silenced it, and dragged myself to the shower, gasping as the cold water pulsed against my skin.

Trying to shake myself awake, I ponder my stupid thought once more. Every girl dreams of adventure, romance, and a happily ever after, nothing wrong with that. What IS wrong is that I'm an adult with childish hopes and dreams, wishing that a knight in shining armor would come waltzing through my laboratory, tear my lab coat off of me, and carry me off into the sunset with my coworkers and boss gaping.

Shutting off the water and wrapping myself in a fluffy towel, I walk over to my bedroom window, staring at the city below. I loved my apartment, not only for the amazing price and close proximity to my job, but I had a bird's eye view of my childhood home—the Higurashi Shrine.

I know, I know, why move out when I could live at home for free? Mama never invaded my personal space, and my little brother and I got along great, but ever since I turned 15 I've felt strange things when I walked on those grounds, as if someone was watching me.

So when college rolled around, I booked it 250 miles north.

It wasn't a dark feeling, it was just…strange. The first weekend I came home from college I walked past the old well house and I could've sworn I had seen something in red zip by me, and I felt that strange feeling again. For years I've tried shrugging it off, but it never seemed to go away.

And yet at the same time…that strange feeling was comforting to me.

Shaking my head, I noticed the clock flashing 8:15.

Ah shit, I'm going to be late again.

* * *

"Bye Kagome! See you tomorrow!"

"Oh, bye! Yes, I'll see you tomorrow…uh…"

"Suki."

"Ah yes, sorry," I flustered, waving goodbye as I took off in the opposite direction. Damn company was taking off and expanding every single day, and I could barely keep track of all the new employee names.

Trudging past a couple of school girls laughing like hyenas, I pulled out my phone, remembering that Mama had called a voicemail earlier that day.

"Hello dear, I hope you had a good day at work…If you have the time, stop by the shrine and have dinner…"

I could never pass up the opportunity of Mama's cooking. With a lighter spring in my step, I walked past the street leading to my apartment and into the quiet neighborhood where the shrine stood.

Walking past a dark alley, an ominous feeling fell all around me. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a psychic or anything, but I do come from a long line of shrine dwellers, and I know a bad feeling when I know one.

I began to speed up, holding my purse against my body tight as I made my way through the empty streets. Glancing behind me, I realized no one was following. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, before walking head first into something warm and firm.

" I'm sorry," I gasp, holding my ground and my purse. "I didn't see you there—"

Looking up, all the words on my tongue simply vanished as I stared at the person I had run into. Sharp, golden amber eyes gazed down at me as he smirked, his long white hair pulled into a low ponytail revealing a handsome, rugged face.

Now, I may have lived in Japan all my life, but I've had my share of tourists, and I have never seen a man with features such as this one. He must have sensed my shock and gave me a wolfish smile, which to my disbelief, revealed one perfectly formed white fang.

Holy shit.

"Is something scaring you, Kagome?"

His voice sent a shiver down my spine as his smooth baritone words echoed in my ears. It took me a while to register that this exotic stranger had spoken my name.

"Have we met?" I asked curiously, taking in his strange attire for the first time. His billowy pants and top looked something out of an old Japanese medieval story, and was this guy _barefoot_?

"Not really, I guess," he drawled, crossing his arms across his chest. "I mean, I know you, but you don't know me."

I was starting to get annoyed. "What the hell is that suppose to mean? Are you some sort of stalker?"

"Eh? Stalker?" He frowned, as if he didn't know the meaning of the word.

"Yes, stalker." I eyed him closely. "I'm positive I've never met you before."

"That's because you haven't, bitch."

Taking a step back, it took all of me not to slap this asshole in the face. "Excuse me? Did you just call me a bitch?"

The man's expression quickly turned to one of remorse. "Ah shit, I didn't mean that. Don't get mad…and don't say that word!"

I'm so lost at this point…and hungry. "Look, are you crazy? I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Fuck, I've said too much," he muttered. I opened my mouth to ask if he escaped some sort of asylum when my phone vibrated with a text from Mama asking where I was.

"As much as I love entertaining you I've-hello?" Looking up from my phone, the strange man had disappeared. I had to take a moment and blink out what had just happened.

"Maybe I've been working too much."

Shaking my head, I made my way to the shrine. Every now and then I would turn around, looking for him, but it was if he had disappeared into thin air.

What the hell?

* * *

AN: I feel my writer juices flowing :)


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer: I don't own**_** Inuyasha...**

* * *

It's been three days since I ran into that strange man.

I had come home to Mama that night, and despite her making my favorite oden of all time, couldn't bring myself to eat more than a few bites. I had her so worried she was ready to take me to the doctor first thing in the morning, but I somehow convinced her that it was stress from work that made me lose my appetite.

Ever since then I haven't been able to forget his face. Those features, while so unique and foreign to me, had a twinge of familiarity that made me uneasy. Had I met him before and somehow forgotten? I must have, if he had known my name.

All the while, I believe I was slowly losing my grip on reality. Everywhere I turned I saw flashes of red and glimpses of gold. I had whipped my head around so many times in the past few days I had taken a heating pad to my neck at night.

I think I'm going crazy.

* * *

"Hey, do you have that paperwork I need?"

I wearily tore my eyes away from the solutions I was diluting to the owner of the voice. "Oh hi, Sango."

"Hi." Her bright smile turned into a concerned frown. "Are you okay Kagome?"

"I'm fine," I grumbled, shuffling through a stack of paperwork on my desk. "Just tired. How's your little brother doing?"

"Better, thanks for asking. Doctor said Kohaku only had a viral infection." Sango's face still had that frown. "Are you sick?"

"No."

"Problems at home?"

"No."

"Problems in the bedroom?"

I couldn't stop myself from snorting. "Yeah, right."

"You work way too much Kagome," Sango shook her head at me. "I got you this job so you could pay your bills, not so you could give up any form of your social life."

"If I had a social life to begin with. Here's that form."

"Thanks! Try to take a break in an hour, I'll be in the break room!"

I watched her retreating figure disappear around the corner, and I couldn't help but smile. Sango was an old friend from college, a couple years ahead, who happened to be from the same part of town I was. I had contacted her after graduating, and with her connections as a supervisor, managed to land me a spot at this prestigious lab.

As friendly as we were towards each other, I couldn't bring myself to confide my encounter with that strange man. In any case, I figured she would probably think I was crazy and push me to take a vacation.

* * *

I did end up taking a break an hour after we spoke, but instead of heading towards the break room, I decided to take my lunch in the courtyard. There usually weren't very many people there, and I wanted to eat in quiet solitude that required no talking.

Taking a seat under one of the cherry blossom trees, I leaned against the trunk, closed my eyes and let my head fall back. A few yards away I could hear a couple of men talking about some new test we were about to offer, and I inwardly groaned, as I knew it meant more work.

Some rustling above me caught my attention, and I cracked my eyes open and stared right into a pair of familiar golden eyes. Startled, I yelped and jumped up, spilling my ice tea all over my lap.

"Miss, are you okay?"

"I'm…I'm fine," I stammered, waving the men away. I waited until they had gone back to their conversation before leaning into the tree and looking up.

No one was there.

Bewildered, I circled the tree, inspecting every branch for a sign of that strange-looking man. Still nothing.

"What the hell…" I muttered, raking a hand through my messy dark hair. "I'm losing it."

"Keh."

I whirled around, half expecting me to come face to face with him, but no one was there. By that time I had the full attention of the men, and feeling more than embarrassed, slowly gathered my things and retreated back inside, cursing to myself.

* * *

I threw my lunch bag and purse on the kitchen counter, relieved to finally be home. Work after lunch was no picnic, and to top it off, the experiment I had been working on had become contaminated.

"More work for tomorrow…hor-fucking-ray," I muttered. I threw myself on the couch and draped an arm over my eyes, trying to relax.

But all I saw in the back of my eyelids was that pair of golden eyes.

"Shit, I was probably seeing things."

But what about that voice? What did he say? Keh? What the hell does that mean?

Tonight, like all other nights, I was feeling too lazy to cook. Wandering into my kitchen, I rummaged through the pantry for a quick dinner, finally settling on instant ramen. Usually I would try to curb my appetite for the sake of my ass, which tended to gain unusual amounts of weight in short periods of time, but seeing as today was significantly distressing, I decided to treat myself to two whole bowls of hot, steaming, ramen.

Turning on the television while I boiled some water, I was delighted to see my favorite movie playing. Half distracted, I hastily cooked my dinner and separated it into two bowls, next to the kitchen window to cool. Waiting until my favorite scene was over, I went back into the kitchen to retrieve my food when I realized one of the bowls was missing.

Unable to ignore my rumbling stomach any longer, I decided to solve the mystery of my missing ramen until after I had finished the first bowl. Taking a seat in front of the television, I was distracted a good hour, happily eating.

After the movie I went back into the kitchen, when I noticed the missing bowl had mysteriously appeared by the window again, completely empty. I stared at it for a full 2 minutes before cautiously picking it up, turning it over and over. It was clean, as if someone had licked it dry.

That's when I realized the window was open. I _never_ leave the kitchen window open.

"That's ridiculous, I live on the 4th floor…no one could possibly reach in, grab the ramen, and put back the bowl," I reminded myself, shaking my head. "There isn't even a ladder or stairs that reaches my window."

But there was a tree.

I suddenly felt extremely sick to my stomach. Throwing the dishes into the sink, I shut off all the lights and all but ran to my room, threw on my pajamas, and dove under the covers.

A few minutes passed before I dared peek my head from the blankets. There was nothing but the familiar shadows in my room. Taking a deep breath, I was about to chide myself about how foolish I am when I noticed a figure in red with long hair crouching on my bedroom windowsill, eyes gleaming as they stared at me.

I felt a small scream escape my lips before I blacked out.

* * *

AN: Thanks for reading :)


	3. Chapter 3

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha..._**

* * *

When I came to, it was morning. Wiping the morning crusties from my eyes, I stared at the window, still wondering if I really had seen that white-haired man sitting there last night. Unfortunately, that wasn't the only thing that haunted me this morning.

I was having those dreams again.

Ever since middle school I had recurring dreams of people I didn't know, and places I had never seen before. The dreams were quick, as if a memory, but they puzzled me enough to render them significant in some weird way.

The dreams were never the same, but the people were. There was a woman wearing some type of cat suit holding a boomerang, riding what looked like a white tiger on fire. In another dream, I saw a man in holy purple robes, and in another, a little boy with a bushy tail.

Then there were the more confusing characters in my strange dreams. A man in a baboon suit, constantly cackling, was disappearing in the shadows. A younger man dressed in furs would always chase me, calling me "his woman." There was also a woman dressed in priestess clothes who looked a lot like myself, but she never smiled.

I never really gave the dreams much thought until last night. The dream I had was so intense, it felt as though I was living in the moment.

I was holding a baby, a strange, talking baby. I felt cold and scared, as if he was speaking words that made my soul tremble. The baby was trying to get me to do something, or say something, but I was resisting, and he didn't like it. He kept telling me to give in, but I couldn't….it was if I was waiting for someone to rescue me. There was a name on the tip of my tongue in the dream, but I couldn't bring myself to say it.

"I'm thinking too much again."

The muffled words of a catchy pop song filled the air, and I almost toppled off my bed in the attempt to reach my ringing phone.

"Hello?"

"Kagome! What are you up to?"

"Oh hey Sango." I stifled a yawn. "Just got out of bed. What's up?"

"One word: shopping."

That woke me right up. "I'll be ready in half an hour."

* * *

Shopping with my old college friend always cheered me up. Although modest at work, Sango's style was quite loud. She always seemed to be drawn to bright colors, especially in any shade of red or pink. It was quite amusing.

Working on our ice cream cones, we came to stop in front of one of the newer store of the mall, an old antique shop advertising authentic Japanese artifacts and knickknacks. Curious, Sango held up her hand. "We're going in."

I didn't mind, I was rather interested myself. Walking through the store's disorganized collections, an old glass case caught my eye. Inside lay a tattered old scabbard, holding what I could only guess was a tattered old sword.

I'm not quite sure what it was, but I felt a magnetic attraction toward the weapon. Leaning in for a closer look, a flash of grey caught my eye.

Standing above the glass case and me was no one other than the stranger I had been obsessing over. He had a peculiar look on his face, as if he was expecting me to say something. Tearing his gaze away from me he glanced at the sword, and something akin to sadness flashed on his face.

"You," I breathed.

"Hey."

I didn't know what to say. My mouth flapped open, but the words in my head didn't register with my tongue. What was I suppose to say next? Nice day we're having, by the way, have you been following me?

We stared awkwardly at each other for a few moments, before I finally realized that he was dressed in normal clothes. Gone were his red robes, and instead were replaced by a simple grey shirt and jeans.

He was even wearing shoes.

With his hair tied back and hat on his head, he looked like any other rebellious young man with bleached white hair.

Looking behind me, I noticed Sango inspecting some old weapons. The strange man followed my gaze and if I wasn't mistaken, his lips slightly turned into a half-smile.

Creepy.

"Have we met before, before the night in the alley?" I finally bit out. "It's been bugging me."

He took a long look at me, the unusual color of his eyes flickering like a burning flame. I saw the muscles on his jaw tighten as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"In another time."

….What?

I frowned. "I still don't understand."

His eyes softened. "Keh, one day you will."

"Alright, whatever. Can I at least know your name? Since you know mine, of course."

"Inuyasha."

"That's…" I tried to think of a complimenting word. "…outlandish."

Inuyasha grinned. "I guess you can say I'm not from this land."

"You speak perfect Japanese to me," I countered. Glancing back behind me I noticed Sango waiting for me by the entrance. "Look, I don't know what's going on or how you know me, but do you think we can get together sometime and talk about this?"

"Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow works," I squinted, trying to remember what I had planned. "Afternoon? What time and where can I meet you?"

"I'll come and find you."

"Excuse me—"

"Kagome, are you done? The lingerie store is slashing prices!"

"I'll meet you there, Sango!" I watched her dash off in the direction of the gaggles of girls, waving. Turning back around, I was flabbergasted to find Inuyasha had once again disappeared.

I sighed, looking back down at the old, rusty sword. "Well, at least I know his name."

* * *

Later that night I sat on my couch, flipping the channels, but nothing seemed to catch my interest. Exasperated, I threw the remote down and walked into the kitchen, grabbing a glass of water and gulping it down.

"Inuyasha…" The name rolled off my tongue. It was foreign, but I liked the way it sounded.

Looking out the window, I watched the leaves in the tree move slowly in the breeze. I was just about to go back into the living room when the branch closest to my window shook, and a pair of golden eyes blinked at me.

The glass in my hand dropped and shattered into a million pieces as I screamed, backing into the island in my kitchen. I watched in surprise and shock as Inuyasha, dressed in his weird red clothes again, make his way from the branch and into my window.

"What…what the fuck do you think you're doing?!" I gasp, watching as he crouched in a very strange manner, his knuckles on the sill. "And why are you in a tree outside my apartment?!"

Inuyasha ignored my questions. "Can I come in?"

My mouth still open, I watched as he crawled in and over my sink, making his way closer to me. As he stood, I couldn't help but realize how tall and intimidating he seemed, towering over me.

"You want answers," he stated, and I nodded dumbly.

Reaching into his red robes, he pulled out a crinkled old photograph. It was obvious he kept it on his person at all times. Inuyasha unfolded in slowly, and taking a deep breath, offered the picture to me with his clawed hand.

Still in slight paralytic shock, I took the photograph and examined it. It was weathered and slightly faded, but I could still make out the two people standing. One was Inuyasha, a large curved sword hoisted over his shoulder, scowling.

The other was me in my middle school uniform, waving as I held onto my bicycle.

In the forest.

In front of a well.

* * *

AN: I hope you're liking it so far! If you have any questions, I'll try my best to answer it in the next chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha...**_

* * *

I still didn't understand.

I took the photo with me into the living room and plopped down on the couch. Inuyasha followed, and I could feel his stare burning through the top of my head. Fingering the faces in the photo, I studied my smiling, bright expression; it was as if I had everything I could ever want.

That was my uniform, my loafers, my bicycle, my yellow backpack…hell, that was my body, but that wasn't me.

I began to mentally flash back to my middle school years. Just like any other girl my age, I had gone to school with my friends, came home and studied, and went out on the weekends to the mall. I had a crush on a boy named Hojo, had a cat named Buyo…

I felt a shiver creep up my spine. On my 15th birthday my cat had gotten stuck in the well house that stood a couple yards away from our house. I had gone in to get him out with Souta when I saw a strange, purple light coming from the well. I had heard a voice whispering, as if it was calling out to me, when a red blur ran past me. Distracted, I ran after it, thinking it was Buyo. As I went to school that day, I couldn't shake a nagging thought that there was something else I should be doing, as if I wasn't suppose to be at school.

I never thought about it too much, until today.

I smoothed out the folded corners of the photograph. Things weren't making any sense, no matter how I tried piecing it together.

"This girl," I started slowly, "is supposed to be me."

"Supposedly." I felt the couch depress next to me. "But she's not you."

"Alright, Inuyasha," I sighed, turning to face him. "Tell me how you know me."

He stared at me carefully, his clawed hands clenching in his lap. "You're not going to believe me."

"Well there's evidence right here," I waved the photo in his face, "that you obviously know me. I don't know how, and I don't know where, but I'd like to try to understand this entire situation."

Inuyasha sat back, crossing his arms in his signature fashion. "Alright, fine. We met 500 years ago, in front of that tree that stands on your shrine grounds."

Wow, he really is crazy.

"You wanted my side of the story, so I'm telling it," he snapped defensively, reacting to my bewildered expression. "Hell, it's not going to make any sense, but nothing seems to anymore, so I'm just going to spit it out."

"500 years ago you woke up me up from a sleeping curse. You had some jewel with you that everyone wanted, but you're clumsy, so you broke it. I dragged you around all over the countryside looking for every single piece because if we made it whole again, I could make a wish to become a full demon. Every now and then you'd disappear down that damn well to come back to this time, and one time when I jumped in after you I found myself here, in a world where the Kagome _I_ know doesn't exist and you're here looking at me like I'm crazy."

I could barely grasp everything Inuyasha just blurted out. 500 years ago? A well? A jewel?

"Now you think I'm fucking insane," he growled, standing. "I'm going to leave."

"No wait." I grabbed his red sleeve. "I don't think you're crazy…" _Liar. _"I just don't understand…you're saying I'm a time traveler?"

"In a different world you are."

"In a different world," I echoed. "Okay, let me get this straight. In a parallel universe I travel 500 years back in time to help you collect jewel fragments so you can make this so-called jewel whole, so you can wish on it?"

"Keh, more or less."

"So how do I know that you're not some crazy lunatic who escaped from an insane asylum and has been stalking me since I was 15? Do you have any proof, other than this photo?"

His eyes narrowed. "Keh, of course."

Reaching up to his head, Inuyasha pulled some type of hair toggle free from his hair, as if he was releasing some deep, dark secret.

I was not prepared for what I saw.

"Are those…dog ears?" I watched as they twitched to the sound of my voice.

"Uh, yeah."

"And, they're…your real ears."

"Like I said woman, I'm a half-demon. Do you believe me now?"

"Depends," I answered slowly. "Can I touch them?"

Inuyasha's eyes turned into wide amber saucers before breaking out into barking laughter.

"You're exactly the same in every fucking world," he coughed.

Choosing to ignore his rude remark, I proceeded to reach up and touch one of his pointy appendages. They were soft to the touch, and as I slowly rubbed and tweaked, I could feel Inuyasha relax under my touch.

After a few more moments of amusement. I finally sat back. "Is that all?"

"What?"

"Your story, is that all?"

"More or less."

"I think you're hiding something." I watched as Inuyasha tensed, an unrecognizable shadow falling over his face.

"Keh, what makes you think I'm hiding something?"

"Your story doesn't make complete sense. Why would I willingly follow you around the country looking for little jewel pieces? Did I make a contract with you? Did you old my other self hostage or something?"

"Hell no!" He blustered, "Why the hell would you think that?"

"It just doesn't make any sense, that's all." Handing him back his photograph, I watched him fold it and put it gingerly back into his robes.

"Were we lovers?"

"What the fuck!" Inuyasha yelled. "You were 15!"

"I couldn't have been 15 that whole time," I reasoned. "I'm just saying, if the Kagome you know is anything like me, there must have been something holding me to you. I don't just follow random half-demon men on crazy adventures without a reason."

"Keh."

"Did I love you?" That stopped him cold. He kept his head down as he stood.

"Uh, I'm gonna go," he mumbled, heading for my kitchen window.

Ah, a touchy subject. I'll get to the bottom of this.

"Inuyasha? Wait."

He paused in front of my sink, his hand on the windowsill. "What is it?"

"Let's make a truce," I offered, holding out my hand. "I'm not quite sure what's going on, but maybe you were sent to this world for a reason. I don't know how much help I'll be, but I'd like to help you. All I ask is that you stop following me around and sitting on my windows trying to scare me to death."

He gave me a strange look, but took my hand. "Keh, alright."

I watched him disappear into the dead of night, the tree outside barely moving as he jumped in. Raking a shaky hand through my hair, I contemplated on what kind of situation I had just gotten myself into.

At the same time, Inuyasha's relationship with my parallel self intrigued me. It was clear that he wasn't telling me the whole truth about his story.

Well, hopefully this kills some of the boredom in my life.

* * *

AN: I think Inuyasha's hiding something too ;) We'll just have to wait and see...

Thank you for your reviews!


	5. Chapter 5

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha...**_

* * *

That night I didn't get any sleep. No matter how much I tossed and turned and wiggled and felt for the cold side of my pillow, I couldn't fall asleep.

Laying flat on my back, I stared up at my dark ceiling. It just didn't make any sense! Why would Inuyasha end up in this world instead of the alternate Kagome's? Was he lost? Was he alone?

For the first time I realized I never asked Inuyasha where he was staying, or if he even had a place to stay. Images of him scrounging around dumpsters for scraps filled my head as I shook them away. No, I take he's much too resourceful than that. I'd imagine him stealing food from random people's windows…

I smacked my forehead.

So that's where that ramen went.

* * *

Since my thoughts were blocking my ability to sleep, I decided to go on a run. Jogging through old familiar neighborhoods I tried clearing my head about Inuyasha.

I couldn't ignore the nagging feeling that Inuyasha was hiding something from me. There was more to the story, I just knew it.

_On my 15__th__ birthday I fell down a well and found myself 500 years in the past…where I woke up and met Inuyasha..._

In front of the tree that's on the grounds of my shrine?

I stopped dead in my tracks. Of course! Why didn't I think of it sooner? Maybe if I went home to Mama I could find some clues about this entire ordeal…maybe poke around that tree…and that old well house…

"You probably shouldn't stand in the street like that."

I whirled around and came face to face with a smirking half-demon, his arms akimbo as he gave me a once over. "Inuyasha!"

"Yo." His smirk quickly turned into a frown. "What are you running from?"

"Huh? Nothing…I went for a run since I couldn't sleep anymore."

Inuyasha frowned. "You're running…because you want to?"

"Well yeah, for exercise," I offered him a smile. "I'm guessing the other Kagome didn't like to run."

"Not for fun, no," He snorted. "Most of the time that wench would whine when she saw a hot spring, saying she was tired, or she had to study. The only running she did was when we were battling Naraku or some other worthless demon."

"Oh? Who's Naraku?" Inuyasha's mouth flapped open, as if he let out a secret. Grunting, he turned away.

"Just some asshole who likes jewels," he muttered.

"I see." I wasn't going to get any answers this way. Looks like I would have to find them out a different way.

"So Inuyasha, what're you doing out here anyway? Following me wasn't part of our truce."

"Keh, I was making sure you didn't get in trouble," he retorted, his golden eyes flashing. "Kagome always gets into some sort of trouble when she got too far away from me."

"So she was a lot of trouble for you, huh?"

"Fuck yeah she was!"

"And you protected her?" Judging by the way his face paled, I hit the nail right on the head. So there was more to his and "other" Kagome's relationship.

"Alright, I'll stop with the interrogation. If you're not busy, would you like to come with me? There's someone I want you to meet."

"Who?"

"You'll find out." I pulled out my water bottle and took a quick swig. "Oh Inuyasha?"

"What?"

"This other Kagome you know, we're not the same person. Don't treat me like I'm her. From what you've told me, we're nothing alike."

"Keh, whatever. You're more alike than you know."

"Oh? How so?"

"She told me those same words when we were talking about Kikyo."

"I see." I turned, hiding my glee.

"Hey Inuyasha?"

"What now?"

"Who's Kikyo?"

"Keh! It's not important!"

* * *

Finally reaching the top, I cursed the million stairs I had to take just to reach my childhood home. I gave Inuyasha an honest glare as he took the steps two by two, not even breaking a sweat.

"I wonder if Mama's home," I mumbled, taking a good look around. "Ah, no sign of her. Oh well, c'mon Inuyasha."

I led him to the old sacred tree near the back of the grounds. I never paid much attention to the tree before…well, then again, I never paid much attention to anything "sacred" here. Gramps was always constantly spitting out old legends and folk tales growing up that I learned to drown out the sound of his voice.

Inuyasha looked up at the tree longingly, as if he was missing something. I watched as his hand reached up to touch the trunk, his fingers touching an old scar I had never noticed before.

"Inuyasha? Something wrong?"

"I was pinned right here," he murmured, tracing the fissure. "Kagome came and broke the seal that kept me here."

"Broke?"

"She had spiritual powers. Do you have any?"

"Not that I know of." I looked up into the branches of the tree, watching the shadows play in the leaves. "I mean, Gramps is the priest here and everything, but I've never known myself to have any powers."

I glanced at the scar in the tree. It was deep, but the scar itself was only a couple inches in length. Out of curiosity, I reached out and touched it.

What happened next was something I couldn't explain. The world around me went dark and I was pulled into through what I could only explain as a time warp, tumbling and falling. Gravity was pulling me by my belly button I thought it would turn inside out.

Gasping for air, I suddenly stopped, and found myself in a dense, green forest. In front of me was the sacred tree…only it wasn't the sacred tree I knew. It was much more alive, more wild, and for the first time I could sense great power emanating from it.

Looking up into the tree I almost screamed as I saw Inuyasha pinned to the trunk, his lifeless body hanging limply as an arrow butt protruded out of his body. I heard a noise, and turning around I nearly fell on the ground.

I had come face-to-face with my 15-year-old self.

Except, she couldn't see me. She walked right past me and climbing onto the tree's roots, proceeded to touch and tweak Inuyasha's ears, much like what I had done the night before.

I suddenly felt a gush of wind as I was pulled back into the time warp, and as I screamed I heard voices.

_"You're Kikyo!"_

_"No! My name is Kagome! Ka-go-me!"_

_"Give me the Shikon Jewel!"_

As quickly as I was pulled into that vision, I was pulled right out, and Inuyasha was standing in front of me, frowning.

"Are you okay?"

"I just… I just saw…what happened?" I choked, reaching out and holding onto him for support.

"You touched the tree and you went still." Inuyasha steadied me. "Did you see something?"

"Yes?" My voice sounded so weak. "I saw you…and me. But it was the other me, and you were asking for the Shikon Jewel…"

The last thing I saw was Inuyasha mouthing my name as I fell into darkness.

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AN: I couldn't resist writing another chapter!


	6. Chapter 6

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha...**_

* * *

I was surrounded.

I stood in the middle of a small crowd, my heart beating in my ears as they came closer, all of them chanting my name.

_Kagome…Kagome…Kagome_…

I was dreaming, I already knew, but I couldn't wake myself up. They were all around me, people with blurred faces.

_Why are you afraid? _

"I don't know any of you!" I screamed, holding my head down. "Go away! Leave me alone!"

_Are you sure you don't know any of us?_

I cracked an eye open, that woman with the large boomerang from my dreams standing in front of me. I slowly lifted my eyes and gasped when I saw her face.

"Sa..Sango?" I croaked.

_Kagome. _She smiled kindly at me, holding out her hand.

* * *

"Sango!" I shot straight up, holding my chest. I earned a wide-eyed stare from Inuyasha, who had been sitting on a chair next to my bed.

Wait, bed? "No one was home," he explained gruffly. "The room smelled like you."

So that's how I got into my old bed.

"Ugh, what happened," I groaned, burying my face in my hands. "I feel like someone used my head as a punching bag."

Inuyasha said nothing, but watched me closely. I could feel his heavy stare from behind my fingers.

"What are you staring at, Inuyasha?"

"Why were you calling out Sango's name?" He asked sharply, his eyes never leaving my face.

"I saw her in my dream."

"What did she look like?"

"Weird," I mused, running my fingers through my hair. "She had some weird bone boomerang…"

Inuyasha sat back in his chair, deep in thought, his nose wrinkled. "This doesn't make any sense."

"You're telling me," I muttered. "What happened? Did I black out?"

"Keh, yeah you did, weak human. You touched that scar on the tree and you froze, and when you came to you were talking nonsense."

It all flooded back to me. "It wasn't nonsense! I saw the Kagome you know! You were pinned to a tree…Inuyasha, what is the Shikon Jewel?"

"The jewel you-er-Kagome broke!"

"Why did I have it? Inuyasha, what are you hiding from me?"

He turned away from me. "I'm only telling you things that you need to know."

I crawled over to the edge of the bed and reached for his shoulder. "Inuyasha."

The look he gave me was so sad, so pitiful, that I felt my heart sink.

"If you want me to help you," I said slowly, " I need to know everything. Please? Trust me?"

Something flickered in his amber eyes, and I could have sworn I saw the slightest indication of a blush. He stood and turned his back to me, staring out the window at the old sacred tree.

"The Shikon Jewel grants wishes to anyone who holds it," he began softly, his voice coarse. "500 years ago, there was a priestess named Kikyo who watched over it. I was looking for the jewel to become a full-demon, and when we met, we…you know."

"Fell in love," I prompted.

"Yeah, that," Inuyasha coughed. "Something happened, and another demon named Naraku made us turn against each other. In the end, she sealed me to the tree with one of her arrows, and she died."

"She knew that the Shikon Jewel was trouble, so she instructed it to be burned with her body. She never wanted it to come back to this world."

"I was pinned for 50 years to the tree, sleeping, until Kagome came. She had fallen down the well in her time, and took her back to mine. I didn't know it at the time, but she was the reincarnation of Kikyo. What was even more surprising was that Kagome was born with the Shikon Jewel inside her. After waking me up, a demon sensed the jewel and tore it out of Kagome's body."

"How did it break?"

"Keh, she shot it with an arrow," Inuyasha mused in sad amusement. "Some crow demon was trying to get away with it, and she shot it, jewel and all. Damn thing broke and scattered all over the place. I told her she couldn't return to her time without helping fix all the trouble she caused."

"Everyone wanted at least a shard of the jewel; it drove lesser demons mad. What I didn't know was that Naraku, the bastard who killed Kikyo, was still alive, and collecting the shards for himself."

"Sounds like a real asshole," I snorted.

"Fuck yeah. He wanted the jewel to become a whole demon himself. Along the way he did some pretty nasty things, killing innocent people and stuff. That's how we met Sango and Miroku. Sango was a demon slayer, Miroku a monk with a cursed hand. Naraku was responsible for killing their families and wanted revenge, so we formed a little group."

"We traveled for a year before it came down to Naraku and us with the shards. In the final battle, Kagome sacrificed herself for the rest of us. I went crazy and killed Naraku, and the jewel was whole."

I couldn't help but notice his voice shaking with emotion, his body tensing. "You loved Kagome too."

"She gave me friends, she taught me everything, and she was gone, just like that. That's when the jewel absorbed me, and asked me what I wanted most in the world. Kagome told me to wish for the Shikon Jewel to disappear forever, to finish everything for good. But I couldn't do it, not with her gone. In my weakness, I asked the Shikon Jewel if I could see Kagome again."

"I was taken to the well that connected my world with hers. A voice told me that if I went through, I would see her again. Stupid me, I jumped in without thinking, and I ended up here, in your world, on your 15th birthday. "

I gasped, remembering the weird sensation I had that day, and the red blur that zipped by me in the well house. "That was you?"

"Yeah. I wanted to see Kagome so bad; I jumped out of the well and scared you. It wasn't until later that I realized it was the day you were supposed to fall into the well and go back 500 years. In a moment of weakness, I changed everything."

I sat back, shocked. The blur that I had mistaken for Buyo was actually Inuyasha? I had followed it outside, and closed the well house behind me. I haven't been inside since.

But wait. He said he came to this time on my 15th birthday. I frowned.

"Inuyasha, it's been nine years. Why come to me now? Why not sooner?"

He turned slowly, his eyes still cast down. "I didn't know how...how to tell you. After so many years, I thought it was better you didn't know me and lead a normal life."

"But?"

"I was told to find you, and finish your duty to the Shikon Jewel."

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AN: So the truth comes out! Poor Inuyasha...I wonder who told him to find Kagome? Stay tuned!

Thank you to all who reviewed! It's comforting to know someone out there is reading my story ^.^


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